The present invention relates generally to wireless data communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a self-adaptive method for transmit power control in a wireless network.
Many wireless network devices such as laptop computers are battery-powered to provide the mobility permitted by wireless networks such as those specified by IEEE 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.16 and 802.20. For this reason, such portable wireless network devices must use power efficiently to permit long operation times. With respect to the wireless link, this involves controlling the transmit power of the wireless network device to maintain throughput levels with distance, maintain the quality and integrity of the signal, mitigate interference effects to other users, and maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal.